Accidents and injuries
Preparing to talk to a lawyer about an injury
In the weeks after an injury, the paperwork arrives faster than the healing. This guide helps you get it into one place, so the first conversation with a lawyer can be about you rather than about hunting for a claim number.
Start with how it happened
Write down how it happened while you still remember it clearly: where you were, what you saw, what the weather and light were like, what anyone said afterward. Note the names of anyone who stopped to help. If there was a police or incident report, write down the report number and which department or business took it.
Keep a simple record of your treatment
List every place you have been treated: the emergency room, urgent care, your own doctor, physical therapy, a specialist. Add the date of each visit and what it was for. Keep receipts for prescriptions, braces, travel to appointments and anything else the injury made you buy. You don't need your medical records themselves yet; a lawyer can request them with your permission.
Track the time and money you have lost
Write down the days you could not work, any pay you lost, and anything you could not do: caring for a child, driving, sleeping through the night. Short notes in a calendar are enough. These everyday details are often the hardest to remember later and among the most important to your claim.
Collect what the insurance companies have sent
Keep every letter and email from any insurer, yours and the other side's, with the claim numbers. If you have been asked for a recorded statement, or to sign an authorization to release your medical records, or a release of your claim, you can say you would like advice first. A release usually ends the claim for good.
Keep the evidence
Keep damaged clothing, a broken product, or a helmet, unwashed and unrepaired, in a bag with a note of what it is. Keep photos of your injuries as they heal. If a vehicle is going to be repaired or scrapped, take photos first and mention it when you contact a lawyer.
Your short list
- Your account of how it happened, written down.
- Report numbers and who took them.
- A list of every place you were treated, with dates.
- Receipts for costs the injury caused.
- Notes of days missed from work and things you could not do.
- Every insurance letter and claim number.
- Photos, and any damaged items kept safe.
This page explains things in general terms. It is not legal advice about your situation, and the law differs from state to state.